Rail-joint.



D. T. FINKBEINER.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED IULY30I I915.

Patented May 23,1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

D. T. FINKBEINER.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 30. 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Patented May 23,1916.

nnb.

DANIEL T. FINKBEINER, OF FREEPORT, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAIL-JOINT.

ercer.

Application filed Jul so, 1915. Serial 1%. 42,723.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, DANIEL '1. Film:- BEINER, a citizen of the United States, residing at F reeport, in the county of Armstrong and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improvement of the suspended type of rail joint in which a splice bar is employed, provided with a bridge piece arranged to bridge the space between the rail ends.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a continuous rail by bridging the space between the rail ends, in such manner as to eliminate as far as practicable the disastrous blow dealt by the rolling stock upon the rail heads at the joint, resulting in increased efficiency in train movements and the prolonging of the life of the joint material.

A further object is to provide a rail joint of this type which possesses no lap joint features.

A further object is to provide ample space for the inclining of the transverse bolts, due to expansion, contraction, and creeping of the rail.

A further object is to provide a rail joint free of parts that protrude beyond the rail, and which might trip track walkers, and others who are compelled to walk along the railroad track.

A further object is to provide a rail joint so constructed that the wave motion in the rails is permitted to pass through the joint with the least harmful results, and with the parts so arranged that no part of the bridge portion will wear away excepting the top thereof, which wears uniformly with the rail.

A further object is to provide a joint which will not rob the rail head, at the joint, of the strength which lies in the rail web, and which will permit the rails to wear away to the point where safety naturally demands a renewal of the same, without giving rise to the liability of derailment, due to worn or broken rail ends.

A further object is to provide 'an improved splice bar having a bridge piece, and means for resisting the stresses tending to shear the bridge piece from the body of the splice bar, and for directing said stresses through the body "of the bar to the flange of the rail.

The invention will be hereinafter fully set forth and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing :Figure 1 is a view in plan illustrating the bridge splice. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the splice bar at its widest part, 2'. 6., midway between the ends. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional View of the joint. Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view of-one half of the joint and Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the other half of the joint. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the joint.

Referring to the drawings, the splice bar comprises a body 10 provided at its lower edge with a laterally extended flange 11 provided with a depending foot 12. The upper edge of the splice bar is provided with an upwardly extended bridge piece 13, which is of approximately triangular shape in plan view, and the inner edge of the bridge portion being provided with a pyramidal portion 13 which overhangs the main body of said splice bar. The overhanging triangular portion forms a bridge adapted to en gage recesses 15 formed by beveling the outer faces of the treads of the rails 16, at their meeting ends, said rails being provided with the usual web 17 and flange 18. Each of the 'bevels employed to form the recesses 15, extends from the outer face of the tread of the rail to a point in line with the outer face of the web of the rail (see Figs. 5 and 6), thereby providing a comparatively shallow recess and avoiding a lap-joint between the bridge piece 13 and the top of the web as would be the case if the recess were deep enough to extend across any portion of said web. The joint is also reinforced by a splice bar 19 located on the inner side of the rail, the upper edge of said bar being thickened as indicated at 20 to provide a head supporting the rail head, the lower edge-of said splice ,bar being {provided with a lateral flange 21 and a depending foot 22. .The outer portion of the rail head, beyond the bridge member 13, is supported by the overhanging upper edge of the splice bar 10, said overhanging portion being approximately from the main'body10. In order to resist this shearing action Iprovide the pyramidal portion 13, which gives ample supportto that portion of the bridge piece which overhangs the main body of'the splice bar, and also provides a means by which the stress imposed upon the overhanging feature may be directly transmitted to the main body of the splice, and hence eliminate the liability of shearing or fracturing the overhanging portion of the bridge. Thezpyramidal portion 13 also performsanother important function, namely, in tightening the bolts whlch are employed to unite the parts, there is, owing tothe space between the splice bar and the web of the rail, a tendeneyto move the. body of the splice bar inwardly to such an extent as to shear off the bridge piece from splice bar The pyramidal portion 13 prevents this action by serving as an abutment to contact with the rail web and limit the inward movement of the splice bar.

The splice bars are provided with holes for the passage of the securing bolts, as illustrated, each splice .bar being provided with alternatelyarranged elliptical holes 25 and circular holes 26, the circular holes of one bar being arranged opposite the elliptical holes of the other bar. The circular holes 26 of the bar 10 are provided with elliptical enlargements at their inner ends, to allow ample room for the inclining of the bolts. Any preferred type of bolt may be employed, that illustrated comprising the usual shank-28 having a head 19 and a threaded portion30 upon which works a securing nut 31, a nut lock 32 'of'any preferred type be- .ing interposed between the nut and the splice bar. The bolts are alternately extended in opposite directions, the headed end of the bolt being passed through the elliptical openings 25-. The flanges 11 and 21 of the splice bars rest upon the opposite extensions of the flange 18 of the rail, and are secured in position by spikes or similar devices extending through the openings 33. The tie plates and cross ties are represented by 84 and 35 respectively. 1 1

Having thus explained the nature of m invention and described an operative manner of constructing and using the same, although without attempting to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made, or all of the forms of its use, what I claim is .1.' As an improvement in rail joints, the combination with two meeting rails having the outer faces of their treads at their meeting ends, provided with complemental converging beveled portions cooperating to form a recess, each beveled portion extending from the outer face of the tread of the rail to a, point approximately in line with the outer face of the web of the rail, a splice bar having its upper edge provided with a bridge member overhanging the inner face of said bar and filling said recess, the under side of the inner edge of said splice bar being provided with a pyramidal supporting extension below the plane of the bridge member and abutting against the web of the rail, a second splice bar supporting the inner sides of the meeting rails, and means for uniting said splice bars and said rails.

2. As an improvement in rail joints, the

combination with two meeting rails having the outer faces of their treads at their meeting ends, provided with complemental converging beveled portions cooperating to form a recess, each beveled portion extending from the outer face of the tread of the rail to a point approximately in line with the outer face of'the web of the rail, a splice bar, the body of which is spaced from the webs of the rails, with its upper edge in engagement with the under side of said treads, said upper edge being provided with a bridge member extending above the plane of said upper edge and overhanging the inner face of said splice bar and filling said recess, the under side of the inner edge of said splice bar being provided with a pyramidal supporting extension below the plane of the bridge member and abutting against the web of the rail, a second splice bar supporting the inner sides of the meeting rails, and means for uniting said splice bars and said rails.

3. As an improvement in rail joints, the combination with two meeting rails having the outer faces of their treads, at their meeting ends, provided with complemental beveled portions cooperating to form a recess, each beveled portion extending from the outer face of the tread of the rail to a point approximately inline with the outer face of the web of the rail, a splice bar engaging said treads and having its upper edge provided with an upwardly projected bridge member, having a portion overhanging the inner face of said plate and filling said recess, a second splice bar supporting the inner sidesof the meeting rails, said splice bars being provided with alternately arranged circular and elliptical openings, the circular In testimony whereof I have hereunto set openings of one bar being arranged opposite my hand in presence of two subscribing Witthe elliptical openings of the other bar, and nesses.

bolts passed through said openings, the inner DANIEL T. FINKBEINER. ends of the circular openings of the first Witnesses:

mentioned splice bar being provided with E. W. Hnss,

elliptical enlargements. J. FRANK SNYDER.

hamlet of this patent may be ebtained for five cents each, by addressing the commissioner of Patents. Wathington, D. G. 

